Taylor Swift’s new album sells 1.6mn copies in US in single day

Taylor Swift’s latest album sold 1.6mn US units in a single day, including 600,000 vinyl copies, putting The Tortured Poets Department on track to become one of the highest-selling music releases since Nielsen began tracking album sales in 1991.

Swift’s 11th compilation record has smashed records since its release on Friday, selling 1.6mn US album, equivalent units in one day, according to Nielsen’s Luminate data group.

About 1.4mn of that tally came from traditional format sales, such as vinyl, CDs and cassettes, an unusual feat in a country where streaming is the dominant form of music listening.

On Spotify, The Tortured Poets Department was streamed more than 300mn times globally on its first day, easily the biggest debut on the platform.

At 34, Swift is the biggest star the music business has seen in several decades. Her sales have reached levels unheard of since the 1990s, when the popularity of CDs left the US music business flush with cash.